workers compensation private investigator

Who’s the Fraudster in Insurance Fraud?

Insurance fraud is a huge problem and insurance companies have gotten a reputation for being hard to work with on insurance claims. They see a lot of fraud and the red flags that pop up are taken very seriously.

International Investigators is called in by insurance companies when they see red flags. We don’t make decisions on cases. Our job is to find facts. Sometimes the facts just keep compounding.

In one workers compensation fraud investigation, we were asked to surveil a claimant to determine if the patient was really disabled. Workers comp fraud is everywhere and the premiums are very expensive, in part because of the amount of fraud.

Workers compensation investigation can include documenting the claimant’s activity as well as their contact with medical providers. [...]

So You Wanna Be a Private Eye

All you have to do is Google “become a private investigator” to find all sorts of blogs, books and sites dedicated to showing you how to become your own, self-employed private eye. Trouble is, most of the advice given to prospective investigators involves searching the Internet for leads and practicing following people without detection – and most of the “tips” are based on the old, outdated stereotypes.

After decades in the business, International Investigators knows there is a level of skill, knowledge and resources that separates the professionals from the wannabes.

Hurrying Through Hiring and Skipping Background Investigation Has Consequences

Years ago, Bill learned his lesson, which is the fact that you just can't take anything at face value, especially people. Like all of those lessons that last a lifetime, Bill learned this information the hard way.

It happened when he hired two new employees for the city courts system. There had not been enough time to adequately complete the HR due diligence checklist including background investigations, as Bill and his staff would normally do with new hires. At the time, the offices for the heavily populated city were grossly understaffed. The employees were all stressed out and overworked. All anybody wanted, at that time, were a couple of warm bodies to sit in front of the telephones and computers.

Workers Compensation Fraud Investigation Leads to Surprises

A recent California case reported in the Los Angeles Daily News proves that workers’ compensation fraud is not just about employees and their claims. No, in this case, the employer was revealed to be the perpetrator of workers’ comp fraud.

The employer was found guilty of workers’ compensation fraud and sentenced to 29 days in jail, three years of probation and ordered to pay $110,381 in restitution for failing to accurately report employee wages. He was understating wages in order to pay a lower premium for workers’ compensation insurance. He also filed at least one claim during the time in question for an employee’s injury without paying insurance on the employee’s wages.

International Investigators is familiar with the workers’ compensation fraud investigation everyone thinks about – [...]